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'Now look here, Doctor,' said the Brigadier, 'you mustn't do anything to help these...' He almost said 'creatures', but thought better of it. 'These people,' he said.

'We have no alternative,' said the Doctor. He turned to Liz.

'Miss Shaw, I'm going to need your assistance.' Then he looked to the waiting technicians. 'Miss Shaw and I can manage to stoke up the nuclear generator between us. I suggest you all go to your usual controls and keep well back from the generator.' The Doctor crossed to the nuclear generator control console, followed by Liz. 'I take it you can understand these controls,' he said to her, 'they're quite simple. I want you to feed in the uranium rods one at a time as I tell you.'

The Brigadier broke away from the reptile man who was guarding him. 'Doctor, do you know what you're doing? I understand this apparatus is all highly dangerous!'

'Even a tin-opener,' said the Doctor, 'can be dangerous if not properly used. All this apparatus does is to make heat, great heat, when the uranium rods are lowered into place. If you're worried, you can watch them being lowered in through this panel.' The Doctor indicated the panel of thick plate glass; beyond, one could see the uranium rods suspended over the holes into which they were to be dropped. 'The heat makes steam for the turbine, and the turbine makes the electricity that our friends need for their destructor. It's all very elementary.'

Morka stepped in between the Doctor and the Brigadier. 'If this creature bothers you,' he said, indicating the Brigadier, 'I can kill him for you.'

'That's very kind of you,' the Doctor said, 'but that won't be necessary. He is quite a useful ape sometimes. Liz, are you ready?'

Liz nodded.

K'to said, 'You must first connect our destructor to your power supply.'

'I thought you would use induction,' said the Doctor. 'That is how you stole electricity before.'

'He jokes,' said Morka. 'Explain.'

'With induction,' said K'to, taking the Doctor quite seriously,

'we lost a great deal of your power. Induction is not as efficient as direct contact.'

The Doctor looked round the technicians. 'Can one of you connect this thing to the main power supply, please?' None of the technicians moved, either through fear or not wishing to help the reptile invaders. 'Come along now,' said the Doctor, 'just one volunteer, please.'

Miss Travis, the young technician who had brought in coffee for Mr. Masters that the Doctor had drunk, stepped forward. 'Perhaps I can do it.'

K'to immediately stepped up to Miss Travis with the end of the cable that led from the destructor. 'You make connection,' he said.

Miss Travis looked at the cable. 'I'll need a knife,' she said. No one responded.

'Surely someone has a knife,' the Doctor said. 'We can't stop the greatest scientific experiment in Earth's history through not having a knife between us!'

Still no one responded.

Liz said, 'I believe the Brigadier has a penknife.'

'If that's the case,' said the Doctor, 'kindly produce it immediately.'

Slowly, without a word, the Brigadier drew from his pocket a boy's penknife and handed it to Miss Travis. 'Thank you,' she said, and set to work cutting away the coating of the destructor's cable to the bare wires inside.

The Doctor turned to Liz. 'Lower in number one rod now, please.'

Liz moved one of the reactor controls. The Brigadier squinted through the smoked panel of glass and saw one of the hanging uranium rods slowly sink down into the hole beneath it. Instantly there was a hum of power in the room, and the fingers of a dozen control dials quivered. The Doctor, however, seemed to be occupied with the mass of wires and fuses immediately under the reactor controls.

'Number one rod in position,' Liz reported.

'Excellent,' said the Doctor, not looking up, 'now lower in number two.'

Liz moved another control. The second uranium rod slowly sank into the hole beneath it. The fingers of the dials quivered again, registering greater power output. K'to looked down at the Doctor curiously.

'What are you